Developed nations have protocol on such drinks, but no cap as yet.
The government plans to put a cap on the caffeine level in energy and sports drinks — a move that may impact the food and beverage majors that promote such drinks. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) — an autonomous statutory body administered by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare — is in the process of drafting standards for energy and sports drinks.
Coca-Cola recently launched its energy drink, Burn, in India. Pepsi also has an energy drink, Sobeys, and a sports drink, Gatorade. In addition, Red Bull and Cloud 9 are the other two dominant players in the domestic energy drinks market, which is pegged at Rs 200 crore. The market is said to be growing at an annual rate of over 60 per cent. Energy and sports drinks have 150-200 parts per million (ppm) caffeine, which is believed to have narcotic effects and is not recommended for kids and pregnant women. If mixed with alcohol, energy drinks double the intoxication level. Developed nations have a protocol on energy and sports drinks, but do not have any cap as yet.
The FSSAI, however, is determined to put in place a cap to safeguard “unaware consumers”. FSSAI Chairman P I Suvrathan told Business Standard: “The standards will be ready by next month. We will introduce stricter standards for these drinks considering that, unlike developed nations (the UK and US where these drinks’ consumption is very high), Indian consumers are still new to these drinks and quite unaware of the effects.”
Suvrathan said the cap level was not finalised yet as a panel was evaluating the same.
An executive of a top cola company said the company cannot comment on the matter till he sees the draft.
This is not the first instance of a body recommending a cap on an ingredient. Earlier, in November last year, the government announced its intention to put a cap of 10 per cent on trans fat (TFA) in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. The National Institute of Nutrition is expected to give its final nod for the same soon. The move was aimed at reducing the risk of heart attacks from the intake of TFA in packaged foods. When notified, the regulation is expected to affect companies like Dalda, Dhara, Kamani, Ruchi Soya, Agro Pack and Cargill.
